Vintage Picnic Basket Makeover

Hi everyone. How is your week going so far?

Today I wanted to share with you my latest creation, a vintage picnic basket makeover.  As a member of the design team at DecoArt, I was assigned a project using their chalky finish paint. The end result was totally up to me; I love those kinds of open ended projects!  So, the question was, "what to make?".

Well, I'll show you my inspiration in a sec, first I want to show you the end result,

a drab to fab makeover

 Ok, are you ready for the "before"?  I was super excited to spot this vintage wicker picnic basket at my favorite consignment shop.  I couldn't scoop it up fast enough!

 Below is what inspired me, straight out of the June issue of Romantic Homes Magazine.

I fell in love with this gorgeous pale green picnic basket.  You can't see from this view, but the wood top was painted with pretty roses.  Since I'm not talented enough to hand paint flowers, I had a bit of a brainstorm, and thought that decoupage would work perfectly for my wooden lid.

 I went over to Pinterest and found some gorgeous vintage floral wallpaper that I totally fell in love with.

I printed out several copies, then cut out each grouping of flowers by hand. That actually took even more time than painting the entire basket!

 Ok, I am getting way too ahead of myself!

First off, I began by painting the basket with DecoArt's chalky finish paint in a gorgeous aqua color called "Escape".

 Then, I dry brushed a bit of their creamy white chalky finish paint, called "lace" (one of my favorite shades of antique white).  The dry brushing creates not only interest and depth, but helps to give it more of an aged look.

 Then I lightly distressed it here and there with fine grit sandpaper.

 I was worried that the paint wouldn't want to adhere to the metal handles, but didn't have any troubles.

 As you can see by the amount of pictures I took, I was having fun with my little photo shoot!

This spot is in our back yard, and since it's mostly shady, my hostas really thrive here.  Come summer, I'll have tons of black eyed Susan's blooming in this bed.  I actually was ripping a bunch out last year, they really were too big!

 Getting back to the lid, I used DecoArt's decoupage medium to adhere the floral designs that I cut out. Several coats were brushed over the top (allowing dry time between coats), then I covered the entire basket with DecoArt's clear satin sealer varnish.

I am so happy with how my basket turned out!  It was a really fun project, the colors and floral motif make me happy.  And I can think of so many great uses for this basket.  Filled with craft supplies, toiletries, or even extra towels in the bathroom.  Oh yes, and even used as a picnic basket!

Thanks so much for stopping in today, hope this has inspired you to create your very own

"trash to treaure" piece!

Disclaimer:  I have been compensated by DecoArt, but the ideas and opinions are my own:)

Vintage Basket Makeover

Hi everyone, 

Happy Spring!

One of the first things I think of with the change of seasons, going from cold and dark winter to sunny and mild spring, is color!

Especially the soft pastels that I love.

So that was the inspiration for my latest makeover.

I had a cute vintage wood slat basket in my stash for several years, and really never did anything with it.  It sat nearly forgotten in the cupboard for ages.  I almost got rid of it more than once, but thankfully I held onto it!  It looked like the type of basket that might have held produce at one point.  I neglected to take a before shot, but it had the original dark finish.  Cute and rustic, but not what I had in mind!

So, I ended up painted and embellishing it, and this is what I came up with!

 I began by dry brushing the entire basket in a soft peachy pink chalk paint.  I blended several different colors til I came up with the shade I had in mind.  I just love doing that!  I wanted some of the original dark stain to show thru, so that is why I decided to dry brush it.  And since it looked kind of "flat" with just the peachy pink, I then dry brushed a creamy white latex paint ('cause that is what I happened to have on hand!), layering it to give added dimension.  I liked that look so much better than just the peach alone!

 Then I set about to embellish the basket.  I began by pulling out some various supplies that I happened to have on hand.  I added gorgeous wide cotton creamy lace trim to the top edge.

I also happened to have these pretty silk blossoms, in the perfect shades of peach, pink, and blush.

Love!  I added those to the front, along with their green silk leaves.

 You know how much I love glitter, right?  Well, these flowers actually came with a touch of glitter, so I didn't have to add any more:)!

 Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I painted the cute little wood handle with the same peachy, creamy dry brushing technique.

I also love adding crinkly seam binding ribbon to many of my projects, and I had this pale pink that was perfect!  So I tied a generous bow of it to each side of the wire handle.

 The best part of this project, other than the fun I had, was that I had all of the supplies needed on hand!

 I've placed it in my Etsy shop.  Wouldn't it be darling used as a flower girl's basket in a rustic themed wedding?  Or filled with a pretty flowering plant?

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a wonderful week!

Christmas Ornament Redo

Bonjour Mes Amis!

While I admit I'm more than a little tempted to go out and buy a bunch of new Christmas ornaments each year (especially when I spot anything sparkly or silver!), I usually try and stick to my rule of 

"making the most of what I've got"!  So that often means redoing or repurposing those items that I already have on hand.

So today I thought I'd show you one of my latest creations, these pretty Frenchy decoupaged ornaments!

 They actually started out looking like this:

 I'd picked them up years ago at a garage sale, for next to nothing.  While I really loved them and enjoyed them as is for many years, I was in the mood to give them a French accent, in keeping with my

"glittery-silvery-creamy-Frenchy" theme this year!

 So here is what I used to transform the ornaments (which are made with a styrofoam like base).

I began by tearing pages of a vintage French dictionary into small pieces.  No worries, the dictionary is not valuable!  I picked it up a few weeks ago at our library's used book sale for just 50 cents!  I never would tear up a valuable book, I bought it just for crafting.

Besides, I already have a nice French dictionary that I use:)

 I then used my handy-dandy Martha Stewart fleur de lis punch (love!!),

and punched out a bunch of them from pretty light blue scrapbook paper.

I wanted the ornaments to be a bit glittery, but I didn't want them shedding all over the place!  Believe it or not, even though I am a glitter nut, I really don't want to find the stuff on every square surface of our house!

And since I am a cheapskate  budget minded,  I hate wasting anything!!!

So, I had a bit of a brainstorm!  I had a large bottle of iridescent glitter glue that had gotten too thick to really use.  So, I cut open the bottle, and mixed it with satin Mod Podge.

 I save the little trays that my "Lean Cuisines" come in, they are perfect for decoupaging and painting projects.

 I didn't take any photos while I was decoupaging the ornaments, it was more than a little messy!

Anyway, once I had the balls all covered with the French dictionary pages, I let them dry.  They I added a fleur de lis cut out to both the front and back of each ornament, went
over the entire ornament with more Mod Podge,
and lightly sprinkled with iridescent mica while still wet.

 I wish that the glitter and mica showed up better in my pics!

 Anyway, I am so happy with the way they turned out, and am glad that I hung onto those ornaments, I was about to donate them to the thrift store!

 They look so pretty hanging on our tree, best of all, they cost next to nothing to make!

Oh, notice the little crocheted angel hanging to the left behind the ornament?  My mom made that years ago, and I really treasure it.

Hard to believe Christmas is just over a week away!

Have a fun and creative day!

Petite French Cupboard Makeover

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Today I wanted to share with you my latest drab to fab transformation, 

this pretty Frenchy cabinet.

It didn't start out this lovely though!

Au contraire!

 This is what she started out life as!

I found her a few weeks ago while out treasure hunting, and was immediately drawn to the great lines she had.  Made of solid wood, she is sturdy and substantial.  At just under 2 feet tall, she weighs in at 7 1/2 pounds! (yes, I really did weigh her!!)

 While the paint job was very well done, the colors were definitely not the look I was going for!

I could hardly wait to get this puppy home and begin the transformation process!

After removing the doors, and giving the entire piece a good cleaning,  I was ready to roll.

Let me tell you, it took many, many coats of the creamy white chalk paint that I used to cover up that awful rusty/burgundy color!

I immediately knew that I wanted to give the cabinet a French accent.  I had debate on weather to add stenciling to the doors, but decided to decoupage this gorgeous and ornate frame graphic that I found over at the Graphics Fairy.

(love!)

I added the French wording to the frames, giving it the look of a sign from a Parisian flower market.

As luck would have it, the frames fit perfectly in the insets on the doors!

As a fun little surprise, I decoupaged copies of vintage French book pages to the inside back of the cabinet.

I love that there is a little shelf inside to display treasures or mementos.

The cupboard also has two cute little drawers down below.  So I just had to add a bit more French flair by stenciling a sweet fleur de lis and swirl motif.

Love the cute little wooden ball feet that the cupboard stands on!

 I must say that this piece is one of my all time favorite makeovers!

 While I would love to keep her, I created the piece for my Etsy shop.

You can take a peek here if you want.

 My imaginary flower market is on rue Ecoles, the same street that our favorite little hotel in Paris is on!

But, here is a real flower shop in Paris, below!  It is right across the rue from our hotel!

 And a few more shots I snapped of some flower markets in Paris.

I am missing it there!

 She was a labor of love, but oh so much fun to create!

 I am really loving that ornate frame graphic, I can't wait to come up with more ideas using it.

 So there you have it, my petite wooden cupboard with a French accent!

Au revior!
Joining French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

What a Difference Paint Makes

Hi everyone, how is your week going so far?

Today I thought I'd share with you some of my latest projects that I've created for my Etsy shop.

I love birdcages, and was super excited when hubby brought me home this beauty!

 This is one tall bird cage, standing at over 2 1/2'!  It didn't begin looking like this, though!  I'll show you the before in a second.  I really love the arched top and cute little wood finials, too!

It even has a tray that slides out at the bottom, so it could be used for an actual birdcage.

 Ok, here is the before!

It's amazing what a difference a little paint and tlc makes, don't you think?!

 I love the cute little door at the front:)

 I think it looks so much better in my signature creamy dreamy white!

 Another favorite recent makeover is this pretty vintage wood corner shelf.

You should have seen what this puppy looked like when I first spotted her!

 I just love the ornate cut work design.

This is another large piece, at over 3 1/2' tall.

 Ok, are you ready for this?

Here is what the poor thing looked like when I discovered her hiding in a corner!

Yikes!  Not only was she pretty dusty and dirty, but had probably the ugliest paint job I have ever seen!

What on earth were they thinking?  Someone had spray painted her bright red, just randomly, so you could still see the white beneath.  I am sure they thought they were being creative, but

what a hot mess!

 After giving her a good bath, I couldn't wait for the transformation to begin!

I could almost hear her shouting

"thank you!!!!!" as I was painting her a nice creamy white!!

Oh so much better, I think!

 Ok, I don't have a before shot to share with you for my next project, but I just had to share this pretty French cloche that I created!

After painting the wooden base, I then stenciled in dark midnight blue a gorgeous fleur de lis image.

Because what could be more French than that?

 I then added a cute tag that I created from chipboard, as well as a copy of a vintage French book page and a fleur de lis image.  Glittered, of course!

 It was alot of fun to create!

 Thanks for visiting today, now go out and find something to transform with a bit of paint and tlc!!